Lost In Paradise
by Theopholos Whenntooda
Summary: Nightwing has always been there for Red Hood, even when no one else was. And now, in the last moments of Dick Grayson's life, Jason Todd is there for him, when no one else can be.


I warned you! Now prepare for one-shotness!

Seriously, I decided to take a break from my ongoing stories to write this one. It's on my list of writer's challenges to write a one-shot based on an Evanescence song, and I have five more I wanna do. But y'all are more than willing to check them out and try your hand at 'em! They're on my profile page, if anyone's interested.

Actually, this was originally going to be "Sick," but I soon realized the song didn't fit. And then Lost In Paradise came up and I changed it around. You can still see some small Sick things I was going to have. Also, this is based heavily on a fanfic I came across and I can't remember what it's called! If anyone recognizes it, please let me know so I can give full credit(and favorite the fic). Thanks!

* * *

**Lost In Paradise**

Jason Todd never wanted much in this life. But honestly, the death of his brother Dick Grayson was not one of the things.

"Hold on, goldie," he said frantically, applying pressure to the gaping wound in Nightwing's side. The tall acrobat coughed, blood spraying everywhere. "Don't you go anywhere."

"Heh… not like I have much of a choice," Dick rasped, grinning stupidly, blood trickling down the side of his mouth. "I can't… can't feel my legs anymore. Are they still there?"

Jason looked down. He closed his eyes, steeling himself before turning back to face Dick.

"Good news… you still got 'em," he lied, feeling the blood flow lessen slightly. "Gotta get a tourniquet on this."

"Did… did you… hehm. Never thought you actually… listened to Bruce's medical training," Dick said, the words coming slowly. Jason glanced around for something he could use to hold in place of his hands. The cloth of one of the alien lieutenants came readily available, and he tied it tightly around Dick's side after sitting him up slightly.

"I never did," Jason admitted, wrapping another bandage on top of the first. "Ducras taught me after… after I came back. Told me if I learned how to take a body apart, I should learn to put it back together again."

"Smart… smart advice," Dick breathed, laying his head back, closing his eyes.

"Hey, stay with me," Jason snapped, knowing that if Nightwing lost consciousness, he might never regain it. "Still need you awake." He raised his hand up to his earpiece, scanning for any open channels. "Red Hood to Justice League, we have a man down, I repeat, we have a man down… any Leaguers listening, we need med-evac, _now_." He paused, listening to the static. "That's _Nightwing_ down, you assholes!"

"Don't… don't cuss," Dick admonished, tapping him lightly on the nose with his third finger, since the first two were broken. "You need… to set a better example to the younger… younger generation…"

Jason didn't answer. The bodies of the alien race called the Disponery were strewn about the battlefield. The battlefield was in, fact, the wreckage of Old Gotham, with mine-ripped concrete and abandoned, bombed-out buildings. Jason had spent his entire ammo count against the Disponery, and had resorted to stealing their weapons and using their laser rifles against them. Dick, being the "nobler" of the two, had been knocking them out with his escrima sticks. The worst he did was break a few of their backs. Which was fine with Jason, but it wasn't enough. They kept healing, and getting back up. Only the destruction of their frontal lobes could stop their regeneration and kill them.

The tall, dark blue humanoids with their cold, white eyes had come to Earth, not sending any message, any warning, but began "purging" the planet. They saw the earth's inhabitants as nothing more than parasites, a virus that must be eradicated so they could move in and repopulate.

World governments, already on the edge, collapsed. The Justice League, the Teen Titans, the Outsiders, the Doom Patrol, even Jason's allies, the Outlaws… they all came together to face the alien threat. They thought they could fight them on their own terms.

After the first year, Superman killed for the first time. A few months after that, Batman had authorized his allies lethal combat. Jason remembered grimly training some of the younger members of the Justice League how to properly kill their foes. He thought Batman was always soft for not killing. He lost respect for the man after the kill order.

But Dick had refused. He still argued that in order to beat the Disponery, we had to be better than them. The Justice League were not too pleased with his(perfectly sound) arguments, pointing out the massive loss of human life that had been sustained.

Koriand'r, better known as Starfire, had expressed her love for him after his impassioned defense. She joined his cause of no killing. Jason remembered looking at Roy Harper, and them both realizing that the Disponery had already won.

"Jay…" Dick said, and the name came out slurred. Jason looked down at his brother.

"Save your strength, circus guy," he said, placing a hand on his chest. "We need you alive. These guys, not so much," he added, jerking a thumb toward the dead bodies. Dick laughed, then coughed up some more blood.

"Still… still gonna argue the point?" he asked. "Really?"

Jason looked away.

"I regret teaching Tim how to let go of his inhibitions," Jason said. "I'm… sorry."

Dick's eyes widened as he stared at Jason.

"Realize what a stupid thing that was," he went on, not looking at Dick. "For all of them. I mean, there's gotta be some way out of this mess, right? Some way that doesn't involve teaching teenagers how to properly waste a guy. 'Cuz that knowledge isn't going to go away when the aliens do."

"It's… it's okay," Dick said, ever the comforting brother, but Jason shook his head.

"Have you seen Tim? He's a freakin' monster. He hits hardest out of all of us, and now he's punching these guys' chests out. Even Bruce doesn't do that."

"Y'know," Dick said, and he really had trouble saying the words, "It'll be okay. One day… Tim will come back… and so will Superboy… and all the rest."

"Will they?" Jason asked. "I didn't."

"You… did." Dick looked Jason directly in the eye. "If you… didn't… then you wouldn't be here now."

"Don't make me a hero," Jason said. "Just… shut up and conserve your energy."

They remained there for a while, silent. Finally Dick spoke again, and every word cost him an effort.

"Jay… sing…" he mumbled. Jason looked at him.

"What?" he asked.

"Sing… a song… please…" Dick muttered, his eyes unfocused.

"Dammit, Grayson," Jason growled, his throat catching. "You're supposed to live. And you said you'd never mention that." Dick grinned.

"Never."

Only once had anyone heard Jason sing. When he and Dick went out for drinks one night, Jason had taken the karaoke stand. He didn't remember much, but he did remember all the hours singing to the radio in his Impala. Dick swore never to tell anyone. But now…

"Okay." He cleared his throat, trying to think of a song. A few came to him, but one stood out particular in his mind.

_"All the promises I made," _Jason started, his voice raspy and thick with dust. _"Just to let you down…"_

"C'mon," Dick whispered. "Something… happy…"

"This is happy," Jason grumbled. "Shut up." He cleared his throat and continued.

_"You believed in me but I broke you,"_ Jason went on, not quite remembering that line, but fully recalling the chorus.

_"I have nothing left."_

_ "And all I feel is this cruel wanting."_

_ "We've been falling for all this time."_

"And… now…" Dick breathed, matching Jason's beat. _"I'm… lost in paradise."_

Jason felt the tears well up in his eyes. He brushed them away impatiently, clearing his throat.

"This… this was the song," Dick said, and his voice seemed to be stronger. "The one you… sang…"

"Only because you paid me to," Jason said, but he had already known the song by heart. That particular band was a guilty pleasure of his, the first album being a prank birthday present from Dick years ago. "You can't sing worth crap."

"Hmm… nope," Dick said, grinning again. "But… you can… keep… go on…" Jason coughed, trying to swallow the lump in his throat.

_"As much as I like the past…" _he went on, and as he sang, memories of him and Dick's adventures the past few years forced themselves to the forefront of his mind. He had found himself hanging with his older brother during his down time from the Outlaws. Of all the Bat Family, Dick was the one who had welcomed him back fully. Tim, while accepting and supporting Jason, was never fully comfortable around the former Robin.

_"I'm just as scared as you," _he sang, the baritone of his voice resonating around them. Dick stared up at the sky, a hazy mist of orange and pink as the sun set on the horizon.

"Thank… you…" he whispered as Jason sang the chorus again. "You… should audition… sometime…"

_"I have nothing left." _Jason felt Dick's grasp loosen in his hand.

_"And all I feel is this cruel wanting." _Dick's eyelids got lower and lower.

_"We've been falling for all this time."_ A smile appeared on the first Robin's face as his eyes closed for the last time.

_"And now, I'm lost in paradise," _Jason sang, not looking at Dick's face, not daring. But as he heard the final breath of Richard Grayson, he turned his head, singing the final line,

_"Alone… and lost in para-,"_

His voice broke on the last word, and he hunched over his brother's body, the tears falling thick and fast.

* * *

_I have nothing left._

_ And all I feel is this cruel wanting._

_ We've been falling for all this time._

_ And now, I'm lost in paradise._

_ Alone, and Lost in Paradise._

* * *

Thank you, and good night.


End file.
